Castilleja Employee-Student Boundaries Policy 2025-26

Castilleja takes the safety and comfort of its students very seriously. As part of this commitment, Castilleja sets expectations for employee interactions with students in its Employee-Student Boundaries Policy, a copy of which appears below. This policy is also included on the School’s website.

Castilleja encourages parents, students, alumnae, or other members of the School community to report concerns about any violations of the Employee-Student Boundaries Policy to a Division Head, the Associate Head of School for Finance and Operations, or the Head of School. Such reports will be kept as confidential as possible except as necessary for Castilleja to take appropriate action. Community members may elect to submit their reports to Castilleja anonymously, although this may impact our ability to follow up on a report. Information on anonymous reporting is available here. Castilleja prohibits retaliation against anyone who reports conduct that may violate the Employee-Student Boundaries Policy.

Employee-Student Boundaries Policy (from Castilleja Employee Handbook)

All Castilleja School employees, volunteers, and interns are expected and required to maintain professional relationships with Castilleja students whether on campus or away from campus.

Some activities may seem innocent from an employee’s perspective, but may be perceived as flirtatious, sexually suggestive, or otherwise inappropriate from a student’s or parent’s perspective. Because of the trusting nature of the student/educator relationship, these actions may interfere with an individual student’s progress at the School, or create an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment that is unacceptable. An appropriate educational environment must promote the psychological and emotional well-being of students, and employees, personnel, volunteers, and interns must be diligent to avoid any conduct that is or could be perceived as being unprofessional, inappropriate, flirtatious, and/or sexually suggestive. This policy is not intended to restrict positive and supportive relationships between employees and students, which are appropriate in an educational environment.

Sexual or sexualized conduct between an adult and a student is absolutely prohibited. Sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, expression of sexual or “romantic” interest, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature between adult employees and students are strictly prohibited. This includes sexual behavior by an adult toward any student, even if she is 18 years of age or older. No sexual behavior, “invited” or otherwise, by any employee toward any student, will be tolerated. Employees need to recognize that because of the differences in power and role between adults and students, any type of sexual behavior toward young people creates in them tremendous conflict, embarrassment, and often silence.

Guidelines for Employees

The below are guidelines that employees must follow. These guidelines do not provide an exhaustive list of prohibited employee conduct, but rather a general framework for describing inappropriate employee conduct that is prohibited.

Appropriate Interactions with Students

Comments, sexual jokes, vulgar language or stories with sexual innuendo are never appropriate;
Employees may not be under the influence of alcohol or drugs or consume alcohol or drugs at any School-sponsored activities where students are present;
Employees are also prohibited from discussing any personal alcohol or drug use, whether past or current, with students; and
Do not initiate or allow unnecessary physical contact with a student.

Electronic Communications with Students

Always use your School e-mail account when corresponding with students and parents, and only engage in correspondence that is professional and related to the educational wellbeing of the student. You should only send emails to students during designated hours; in the Middle School, email hours are between 7:30am and 5:00pm. In the Upper School, emails can be sent and will be responded to between 7:30am and 8:00pm.
If you receive personal communication from a student and the communication is not appropriate, keep a copy of the communication and inform your Division Head;
Employees should not use SMS, MMS or peer to peer (i.e., Messaging through iPhone) or any other texting, picture or video communication with students except on School-issued devices with a record of the communication preserved unless prior authorization has been obtained from the Head of School to engage in such communication using personal devices. In the event that authorization is obtained to use personal devices, all such communications with students must also copy another School employee. Employees may not communicate with students through messages or programs such as Snapchat that disappear after receipt; and
Do not “friend” your students or allow students to access your social media. For more information on this policy, see the Internet, Social Media and Electronic Communications Policy [in the Employee Handbook].

Appropriate settings for meetings with students

Do not be alone in a room with a student unless there is a window permitting others to view the room or the door is open;
Do not allow students in any classroom without adult supervision; and
Do not transport students in your own vehicle or be alone with a student in a car.

Don’t show favoritism or exceed the professional educator role

Do not engage in personal relationships with parents of students that reflect or may be perceived to reflect personal interests or favoritism. Disclose any personal relationships with parents to the Head of School;
Do not visit students in their homes unless their parents are present and have invited you, and do not invite students to your home;
Do not hire students to work in your home or at your personal events. Do not socialize or have other contact with a student or group of students off campus outside of School-sponsored activities;
Students should not become overly friendly or familiar with you, and students should never call teachers by their first names or nicknames;
Do not seek emotional involvement with a student for your own benefit, including by discussing your own personal troubles or intimate personal issues;
Do not give gifts to an individual student that are of a personal nature;
Do not loan money or give money to students; and
Do not take the role of a surrogate parent with a student, and do not criticize a student’s parents to the student.

Don’t keep secrets or ask students to do so

Employees must act with transparency: any interaction with a student should be something an employee would feel comfortable saying or doing in front of that student’s parents and the employee’s supervisor;
Never ask a student to keep information secret, and never instruct them not to report a concern;
Keep parents and supervisors informed when significant issues develop for the student;
Don’t promise students that you will keep information they share secret, as you may need to share the information with other employees or family members; and
If a student shares confidential information that could pose a threat to the student or others, the employee must notify his/her supervisor or a School counselor, and/or make a report of suspected child abuse or neglect in keeping with the School’s child abuse reporting policy and mandated reporting laws.

Employees must understand their own responsibility for ensuring they do not cross the boundaries established in this policy. Disagreeing with the wording or intent of the established protocols and requirements does not alleviate employees from strictly complying with this policy and will be considered irrelevant for disciplinary purposes.

Duty to Report

If an employee finds themselves in a difficult situation related to boundaries or has questions related to these protocols and requirements, the employee should consult the Head of School or their supervisor. Employees have an obligation to report to the Head of School any behavior that seems inappropriate or in violation of this policy. In some circumstances, employees will also have the duty to report conduct that violates this policy in accordance with the mandated reporter requirements. The School will not retaliate against anyone who reports conduct that may violate this policy. An employee who retaliates against an individual who makes a report under this policy will be subject to discipline up to and including termination.